2013 – Week 27 and An Interview with Hunter

I’ve began a new edit this week, whilst waiting for the betas comments on Blood is Power. The edit is good and the comments awesome! I have a feeling Nick Hunter has amassed quite a few fans.

For that reason, I risked my neck and pinned him down for a quick interview. Would you like to peek into the mind of Nick Hunter? Here we go!

Interview with Nick Hunter, by Ella Medler

Hello and welcome. Thank you for giving me the chance to introduce Nick Hunter, the main character of the Hunter Trilogy.

Let me give you a bit of background first. Nick Hunter had a tough start in life, but he overcame his difficulties and joined the Army. One day, a mission he was supervising went wrong and he lost all his comrades in an ambush. Their bodies shielded his own. Since that day, post-traumatic stress and survivor’s guilt have haunted him relentlessly. In time, and mostly to escape psychologists’ clutches, he sorted out his shell of a life. Still uncertain and not entirely in control, he accepted a quick job — which turned out to be one of many — and slipped into the murky world of contract killing.

E: What happened, Nick, what was the catalyst to you changing your way of life?

NH: It was wrong. I was playing God and leading the life of a somewhat disturbed loner. Don’t get me wrong — I had friends. I just… I don’t know… I guess I just grew tired of killing, eventually.

E: Did your decision become final when you met Maxine Hamilton?

NH: Maxi is everything to me. I certainly wasn’t prepared to put her life in danger, but I knew things had to change before that evening… the evening I saw her walking down the beach, sweet and lost, strong on the outside yet crumbling on the inside. I love Maxi.

E: I’m grateful for allowing me to write your story, and Blood is Heavier is just the beginning, isn’t it? It’s about meeting Maxine and turning your life around. You settled down in a little town in England, had a little boy, Cameron…

NH: My son is the best thing that ever happened to me.

E: And then shadows from the past clouded up your sky.

NH: Oh, very poetic. I was too trusting, I believed we’d be safe in England. I mean, crime is really low, outside London, and I never thought for one second that there could be someone dumb enough to try and blackmail a contract killer… sorry, ex-contract killer… someone stupid enough to try and use my son as a lever to get me to go back to my old way of life. I should have changed our identities, lost our tracks somewhere really remote. I was careless and exposed my family…

E: You blame yourself? It’s not your fault, you know.

NH: It is. But I can fix that. The people threatening my family will not have the chance to do it for long.

E: Somehow, I didn’t expect you to say anything different. So, can you tell people about the real threats? What exactly happened in Blood is Heavier?

NH: Read the book and find out. (He chuckles) All I’ll say is that in the second book, Blood is Power, everyone will get what they deserve.

E: Oooh, I like that. Wait a minute, so if the events that began in Blood is Heavier get resolved in Blood is Power, what’s left for book three? You did say it’s a Trilogy, the Hunter Series, right?

NH: Yes. The third book jumps forward in time by a few years, and I’ll just let you into the secret now, if you like, without giving away any of the plot: you’ll have to ask Cameron a lot more questions. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

E; Your son? Hmm, intriguing. I can’t wait to write that story, too. Ok, so I can see you’re a little reluctant to reveal the action. Tell me something about you, then.

NH: What do you want to know?

E: What’s your favourite pastime?

NH: Easy. Sailing.

E: Favourite place on Earth?

NH: The ocean.

E: I guess I should have seen that one coming. What do you treasure most on Earth?

NH: My family. Do you even need to ask these things?

E: Oh, oh. I know. What is your greatest asset?

NH: (He sighs as he considers his answer) My resilience, I think. I just don’t give up. Not in my nature.

E: Do you think about death? I mean, does it bother you, as a concept? And if yes, how often?

NH: It doesn’t bother me. Why should it? We’re born, we live, we die. It’s what we do with our lives that bothers me, as you put it. It seems not all of us have managed to find the best use of our time on Earth. Well, I’m not wasting my time teaching others. And yes, I do think about it, but not in a macabre way. I’m quite relaxed about it. Philosophical, you’d probably say.

E: Is there a recipe for perfect murder? Could you do it?

NH: Honey, you couldn’t afford me!

E: Ha ha ha. What makes you laugh?

NH: Good jokes, a puppy chasing its tail, a seagull misjudging its landing, a kitten tripping up a mountain of a man, a kid who’s just discovered that crabs have claws… many things.

E: Ok. (My turn to think for a minute) Is there anything you’re ashamed of?

NH: Yes. I wish I was a stronger man. Sometimes, just being able to survive is not a good enough sign of being a strong, decent person.

E: So, does that mean you’d change anything in your life, if you had the chance?

NH: I already have. By the way, don’t bother trying to follow me. You’ll never find me. Unless I want you to find me.

E: Wasn’t planning to. I value my life far too much. One question left… What’s the most important life lesson you want to pass on to your kids?

NH: To make their own rules. Respect life, be human and humane, but never ever let someone else dictate what you should do or like or say. Being free is so much more than an entry in a dictionary.

E: Wow. I wish I knew that one when I was young. It would have saved me a lot of headaches. Well, thank you for being here, thank you for being patient and most of all, thank you for being so open and truthful.

NH: My pleasure. I hope to speak to you again, someday. Goodbye. (to the heavy by the door) Hey, big fellah, can I have my gun back now?